Albury March 4 Justice organiser proud of community response

Pride at this community who cares.

Pride at the bravery of all the women - and all "our male allies" - who gathered to share their stories and to say enough.

Enough to the discrimination, sexual harassment and assault of women.

Enough of the victim blaming, victim shaming and refusal to believe a woman's story.

Spurred on by the recent allegations of sexual assault rocking federal Parliament, tens of thousands of Australians joined the March 4 Justice protest on Monday.

More than 400 people gathered in QEII Square to support the event organised by Border women Judy Langridge, Corinna Adams, Julie-Ann Mills, Sarah Benoy, and Jen Tait.

Ms Langridge said she was "blown away" by the turnout, "humbled and grateful".

A woman who carries the physical and emotional scars of sexual assault and violence against her and who has now made it her mission to step out and speak out to empower others and enact change.

"I'm amazed by the amount of feeling in our community; so many people turned up dressed in black and red," she said.

"Today I feel stronger, I feel empowered to keep campaigning - I think the appetite for social action is there.

"There are plenty of people - men and women - who are fed up (with the treatment of women) but who don't know how to direct their rage.

"We're angry, we're triggered and we're going to keep going until women are no longer being raped, beaten, burned and murdered."

RELATED: North East leads way as March 4 Justice protest hits home

A photo project that followed the speeches saw 56 women lie down on the ground to represent the number killed by their current or former partner last year, more than one a week.

Other set pieces involved different generations, dying flowers, a bride and hands with wedding rings.

Wangaratta's Cassandra Pollock felt inspired by the bravery of Australia's Margarita Solis, who reported sexual assault in an aged care facility when she was 95.

"It took a lot for her to pursue her safety and justice and I wonder how many other women are not being held in a place that's safe," she said.

Nicola Teek, of Tallangatta, said it was good to see support for the march, although the reasons behind it were sad.

"We need more change at all levels throughout our political, economic and education systems and in our culture as well," she said.

Albury's Chloe Cooper attended to show support and wanted "action from the people in charge".

Her friend Katie Reid said a boss once told her a skirt was too tight because it was "revealing".

"Why is this even being brought up and why are things like this happening?" she said.

"It's just wrong; it shouldn't be about what you're wearing, people should have self-control."

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Four Border and North East women talking together said while there had been improvements in front line services there's still "that embedded sexism that people don't seem to recognise".

"We still need to change a lot of the outlook, I think, within the actual general society about how women are treated on a day to day basis," one said.

"I think until we get that change within the population at large, we're not going to see a stop straight away to the harassment and the violence that women have to endure."

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